Personal communication systems have greatly enhanced and expanded telecommunications in the United States and throughout the world. Examples of such personal communications systems include both cellular communication systems and cordless radiotelephone systems such as the CT-2 (second generation cordless telephone) and DECT (digital European cordless telephone) systems. These systems have provided wireless communication access to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) with the use of a plurality of fixed location telepoint base stations which have provided voice communication capability between a plurality of portable radiotelephone handsets and conventional telephone receivers.
In conventional cellular communication systems, a number of cells, i.e., base stations and their associated coverage areas, are widely distributed throughout different geographic areas. In CT-2 systems, as compared to cellular communication systems, a greater number of telepoint base stations have had to be distributed throughout different geographic areas because of the relatively low power outputs provided in the portable radiotelephone handsets. Both systems, however, generally include landmarks such as shopping malls, airports, restaurants, etc., within the coverage areas of the base stations. There is a need, therefore, to be able to provide not only conventional telecommunication capability to the system subscribers, but also data communication capability in which information of interest could be relayed to system subscribers.